In recognition of National Preservation Month, Preservation New Jersey on Wednesday announced its 17th annual list of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey.

The only Somerset County site on the list is the Bachman Wilson House — one of only four houses in New Jersey designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright — which suffers repeated flooding and possible destruction every time the nearby Millstone River leaves its banks. Ironically, the list came out on a day when the Raritan, Passaic and Millstone rivers were all under a state-imposed flood watch.

The Bachman Wilson House at 1423 Millstone River Road in Millstone Borough was built in 1954 and, as one of only four documented Frank Lloyd Wright houses in New Jersey, is “a rare and quintessential mid twentieth century landmark,” according to Preservation New Jersey.

The Bachman Wilson House is a “Usonian,” Wright’s term for architecturally distinct yet cost-conscious house designs, which he first promulgated during the Great Depression. Wright designed a compact house for the Wilsons, with dramatic cantilevered roofs and balconies. Its open floor plan, and soaring glass window walls which maximize natural light, make it seem larger than its actual dimensions. The glass walls also afford Wright’s signature feel of being close to nature: in this case, arguably too close. The property lies in a floodplain and is subject to continual inundation by the very river that defines the site.

When the current owners purchased the property in 1988, it was in a state of ill repair largely rooted in damage from previous flooding. Over 23 years, the current owners have painstakingly restored the house, using original construction documents from the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives. The restoration was celebrated in 2008 when the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy awarded the project the Wright Spirit Award, and in 2009, the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects created a Preservation Merit Award to recognize their achievement.

The Bachman Wilson House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Soon after completion of an extensive round of renovations in 1999, the area was hit by Hurricane Floyd. The first floor was underwater then and has been repeatedly in subsequent years.

Numerous federal and state agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Jersey Water Supply Authority, and the Department of Environmental Protection, are involved in flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration efforts in the Millstone River basin, but none seem likely to alleviate the problem at the Bachman Wilson house. There is indication that flooding on the property is increasing both in intensity and frequency, threatening the house itself and its viability as a residence.

Citing their protracted battle with floodwaters, the owners recently announced that they are considering putting the house on the market after relocating it to a lot in Houses at Sagaponac, an “in progress” development of modern residences in Sagaponack, New York. However, according to Preservation New Jersey they are open to other potential relocation sites.

“Anytime a building is removed from its original setting, it loses context, negatively impacting its historic integrity,” according to Preservation New Jersey’s statement. “Not acting to protect the house in the near future will jeopardize its long-term survival. We hope that all means of saving this landmark on or near its current site may not yet be exhausted.”

“If relocation is the only viable course of action, this distinctive building, the work of one of the twentieth century’s greatest architects, should remain on a site as comparable as possible to the original in setting, orientation, and geography,” the group concluded.

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The 10 Most Endangered Historic Places program spotlights irreplaceable historic, architectural, cultural and archeological resources in New Jersey that are in imminent danger of being lost. The act of listing these resources acknowledges their importance to the heritage of New Jersey and draws attention to the predicaments that endanger their survival and the survival of historic resources statewide. The list, generated from nominations by the public, aims to attract new perspectives and ideas to sites in desperate need of creative solutions.

Several challenges face properties included on this year’s endangered sites list, including neglect and deferred maintenance, weak or non-existent local preservation ordinances, and misinformation or lack of consciousness. On this year’s list, the effects of an extraordinarily challenging economy remain particularly evident: a dearth of funds, a lack of viable rehabilitation plans, and taxed municipal and state budgets are just a few of the difficult issues with which not only those sites on this year’s list, but historic properties throughout New Jersey, are currently grappling.

On a more positive note, selections to the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list are based on the likelihood that historic buildings and places can be brought back to useful and productive life. Many properties previously listed among the 10 Most Endangered have been saved, preserved or rehabilitated, and have once again become character-defining assets to New Jersey’s communities, a spokesperson for Preservation New Jersey said..

The 2011 list includes:

-- Atwood-Blauvelt Mansion, Oradell, Bergen County. A 19th century mansion, currently in foreclosure and threatened by proposed development.

-- Penns Grove High School (current Penns Grove Middle School), Salem County. A 1935 Public Works Administration school threatened with demolition and replacement.

-- Petty’s Run Archaeological Site, Trenton, Mercer County. The only known Colonial-era steel furnace whose archaeological remains have been excavated adjacent to the State House but are threatened by proposed reburial.